Four Questions: Trent Jackson

TRENT JACKSON

Partner, Mentry Development

A graduate of The Master’s College, Trent Jackson has built his own business success story in Santa Clarita, first launching his own company, Tango Packaging, and later teaming with a pair of partners to launch Mentry Development.

Mentry Development describes itself as ‘The Special Ops Team’ for its business partners. What does that mean?
Mentry Development is a versatile consulting and capital company made up of highly trained and seasoned professionals able to address all areas of business. Mentry’s role is to work in partnership with business leaders to provide solutions that require detailed planning and precise execution beyond the reach of conventional thinking. We partner with businesses at all stages from initial ideation to large scale growth and provide strategic solutions in the areas of funding, business development, operations, strategy, and execution. Simply put, we are the special operations team for your business.

There are good – sometimes even great – business ideas that never fully develop in the marketplace. In your experience, why?
Primarily, poor execution! All other reasons for failure fall under that. Ideas are not the hard part. Developing the right plan and then executing it, is. We like to say, ‘An idea is no better than the paper it is written on.’ Executing an idea starts with a strategic plan but ends with massive action and a resolve to persevere through all the setbacks and hard parts. This is where Mentry comes in. We help companies get off the ground and to the next level no matter how big by providing support, accountability, and strategic planning. We spur entrepreneurs on to fulfill and execute the right plan.

What is your daily motivation?
My purpose is to help people build meaningful relationships and do things better than they have ever been done before. This is what drives me every day to wake up early and win the day. It is important to understand your purpose. This deep motivation is based around a discipline and tenacity that I learned from my mom’s example. Grit is both a mindset and a passion. On top of that, our days are numbered, and I don’t want to waste the gift of this one precious life I’ve been given.

How can Mentry Development be an asset to the Santa Clarita Valley business community?
Even though Mentry Development works with entrepreneurs around the globe, Santa Clarita is where we call home. We are excited by the growing start-up scene in the Santa Clarita Valley community and truly believe that the SCV has everything an entrepreneur needs to build a thriving business from funding, to talent, resources, and the support of local government. Our team helps business owners connect the missing dots and tap into those resources.

A journalist of 25 years, Steve Kiggins is editor of the Santa Clarita Valley Business Journal. Prior to joining The Signal in December 2017, Kiggins was based in Utah as an executive editor in the USA TODAY Network and worked more than a decade in media and education in Wyoming.
Follow him on Twitter, @scoopskiggy.